When mother's day rolls around, I always feel a little stressed about how I'm going to honor my mom. She's  a pretty amazing person. If you're in her line of sight, she'll become your mom, too - and not in a bossy, pushy kind of way, but in her own quiet way that says "I see you, and I'm going to give you help if you need it.". She has a true servant's heart and I hope to be just like her one day. One thing is for sure, she deserves more than I could ever give her.

Mom and I are really close and, well... here's why. About a week before my ninth birthday my dad died. He had cancer. This was awful and sad as you can imagine (I'm sure some of you know the feeling first-hand). My mom had to raise me on her own, and I know it was a struggle but she did so much for me as a single parent I don't feel like I missed out on anything important. Now that I'm an adult, there are at least a dozen things that come to mind every day that I want to thank her for - or say I'm sorry for.

Mom.
Thanks for all the meals you made for me. I was not as grateful for them as I should have been.
I'm sorry for that boyfriend I had that one time (eye roll).
Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes when I was 16. I'm sorry that I did not always return them.
Thanks for helping me move all those times. If I were you, I would  not have helped me.
Thanks for teaching me that it's okay to stir peanut butter and sugar together and eat it with a spoon. 

The list goes on and always will.

Mom passed down to me a love of bangle bracelets and coffee the color of caramel (but I did not inherit her green thumb,darnit). She also encouraged me to make good food. Years ago she gave me a cookbook with all the basics, and I was happy to give her my own cookbook in return all these years later.


Last week she came over to my house and we made her favorite cinnamon rolls. They're so fluffy and have just the right amount of glaze. I had three-ish strait from the oven and two more later that evening. No regrets!

Below is a complete visual to putting these delicious rolls together. I hope you'll give them a try!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  Hope it's the best one yet!

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls
[click for printable version]
Yield: 2 dozen
Source: Mom (magazine clipping from 1976)
Prep 2 hours; Total 2 hours 30 minutes

Dough
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (90-110°F)
2 eggs, room temperature
6 cups all purpose flour, sifted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup sugar and 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon mixed together

Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2-4 tablespoons hot milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. For the dough, heat milk, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar melts and a few small bubbles appear at the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the other elements.
2. Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in very warm water (90°F to 110°F) in the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl if you don't have a stand mixer). Stir with the paddle attachment (or wooden spoon) until well blended. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. Beat eggs into yeast mixture. Stir in cooled milk mixture (it should be lukewarm), switch to the dough hook then add in flour a little at a time until dough is elastic. Add melted butter and mix, then add in more flour until dough is elastic and pulls away from the sides of the mixer. Note: you may  not have to use all the flour. Do not add so much flour that  the dough does not stick to your hands. Set a timer and knead with the dough hook (or knead with hands on a floured surface) for 5 minutes. 
4. Place dough in a buttered bowl and turn it over to coat the entire surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 1 hour or until doubled (mine took a little longer than an hour to double).
5. Punch down dough and turnout onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times and cut into two pieces. Roll out each piece to 12x9-inch rectangles. 
6. For the filling, brush the rolled dough pieces with the melted butter. Sprinkle each with half the cinnamon sugar mixture and roll up jelly-roll style. Cut each roll into 12 pieces. 
7. Place slices not quite touching in a well buttered pan. A 13x9 dish will work well, but I prefer them in 9-inch round cake pans.
8. Cover and let rise about 45 minutes or until doubled.
9. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake rolls for 18-25 minutes, or until golden. Keep a close eye on them so they don't over-bake! 
10. Whisk together glaze ingredients, adding additional milk as needed. Glaze rolls in the pan while they are hot, or turn them out on a serving platter and glaze.